UK Bubble Tea Kits Compared: TeaJoy, Bubbleology and Manhua Cha

TeaJoy, Bubbleology and Manhua Cha all sell bubble tea kits in the UK, and they work in different ways. Our kits are portioned, one sachet of tea and one of boba per drink, with nothing to boil. Manhua Cha lets you build your own kit, and Bubbleology's fruit kit lets you mix the flavours yourself.

TeaJoy is a UK bubble tea brand of cans, home kits and café kits, found in more than 800 UK locations. Below, our three home kits sit beside Manhua Cha's and Bubbleology's kits, as each brand's own website described them on 10 October 2026. Comparing cans instead? See UK canned bubble tea brands compared.

TeaJoy, Bubbleology and Manhua Cha kits side by side

Kit	TeaJoy home kits	Manhua Cha Build Your Own Kit	Bubbleology Mixology Kits
Drinks per kit	4	4, 8, 12 or 20	4
Who picks the flavours	Set: two flavours, two drinks of each	The buyer: a tea base and a topping for every 4 drinks	Fruit kit: you mix, "12 possible flavour combos"; milk kit: four flavours, one of each
Boba	One sachet per drink: popping boba, or instant tapioca pearls in the Milk Tea Kit	Tapioca pearls, popping boba, coconut jelly or fruit jellies	Fruit kit: four 100g pots of popping boba; milk kit: instant tapioca pearls
Kettle or heat needed	No: a cup and a spoon	Not stated on the kit page	Fruit kit: 100ml of hot water for the jasmine tea, or skip the tea; milk kit: heat the tapioca
Dispatch	The next day	Within 2 to 3 working days (kit page)	Aim: within 3 business days

Which bubble tea kit lets you choose the flavours?

Manhua Cha gives the most choice: its Build Your Own Kit lets you pick a tea base and a topping for every 4 drinks, in kits of 4, 8, 12 or 20. Bubbleology's Fruit Mixology Kit leaves the mixing to you, with 12 possible combinations. Our kits are set: two flavours in each box, two drinks of each.

• The Fruit Tea Kit, £13.49: two Passionfruit & Strawberry and two Mango & Passionfruit, with popping boba.
• The Milk Tea Kit, £13.49: two Classic Milk Tea and two Brown Sugar Milk Tea, with instant tapioca pearls.
• The Matcha Bubble Tea Kit, £13.99, our new arrival: two Matcha & Strawberry and two Strawberry & Mango, with popping boba in every drink.

Manhua Cha's milk tea bases include Original, Taro, Cookies & Cream, Brown Sugar and Strawberry, and its fruit teas include Apple, Mango and Irn Bru. Bubbleology's fruit kit has Peachberry, Lychee, Passionfruit and Watermelon syrups with jasmine tea bags; its milk kit has brown sugar syrup and chocolate, caramel, and cookies & cream drink mixes.

With us, you choose fruit, milk tea or matcha, and the flavours inside are set. That suits a present, or anyone who wants the same drink every time.

Popping boba or tapioca: what comes in each kit?

All three brands use popping boba and tapioca, packed differently. Every TeaJoy drink gets its own sachet: instant tapioca pearls in the Milk Tea Kit, popping boba in the Fruit Tea Kit and the Matcha Kit. Bubbleology puts its popping boba in shared 100g pots, and Manhua Cha lets you pick the topping.

Our popping boba is made from real fruit juice with a thin xanthan gum shell, and in taste tests, 10 out of 10 people preferred it over others on the market. Our instant tapioca pearls are made from tapioca starch and konjac, with a chewy, sweet caramel brown sugar taste, and need no heating or cooking.

Bubbleology's fruit kit has two pots of strawberry popping boba, one of mango and one of lychee, and you add some to each glass. Its milk kit's instant tapioca pearls are heated as per the instructions.

Do you need a kettle for a bubble tea kit?

Not for ours. Every TeaJoy kit is made with a cup and a spoon: stir a sachet into 300ml of water or milk, add the boba, then ice. There is no boiling, no cooking and no microwaving, and a milk tea is ready in about 20 seconds because the tapioca pearls are instant.

Bubbleology's fruit kit starts with a jasmine tea bag in 100ml of hot water, infused for up to 2 minutes, though you can skip the tea and use 100ml of cold water. Its milk kit says to heat the tapioca, and suggests a blender for best results. Manhua Cha's kit page lists tea powder or concentrate, toppings, tea bags and instructions, but gives no method.

How quickly does each bubble tea kit ship?

We dispatch UK orders the next day, and DPD delivers on a 2 to 4 working day service. Delivery is £3.95, or free on orders of £25 or more. Manhua Cha's Build Your Own page says kits are prepared fresh in Newcastle and shipped within 2 to 3 working days. Bubbleology aims to dispatch within 3 business days.

Manhua Cha's general FAQ, from what it calls a small family run business, gives a longer window: 3 to 5 working days to be despatched, then 2 to 3 days to be delivered. For a party or a present on a set date, next day dispatch is the shortest of the three. TeaJoy is also on Amazon UK if you prefer to order there.

Which UK bubble tea kit is rated best?

TeaTrade's Best Bubble Tea 2026, updated September 2026, reviewed eight bubble teas from TeaJoy, Bubbleology and OMG. Our Milk Tea Kit came first: Best Overall, five stars and the Editor's Choice. Our Fruit Tea Kit was named Best Fruit Tea and our Matcha Bubble Tea Kit Best Matcha. Bubbleology's Milk Tea Mixology Kit placed fourth.

Our bubble tea has also been voted best tasting in blind tastings at customer meetings, trade shows, pitches and buyer meetings, and TeaJoy was named London Food & Drink Startup of the Year at the UK StartUp Awards 2025. Read TeaTrade's full round-up, or is TeaJoy any good? for the awards and press in one place.

Which bubble tea kit should you choose?

Choose a TeaJoy kit for the simplest drink to make: a cup and a spoon, every drink portioned, dispatched the next day. For a first kit, start with our Fruit Tea Kit. Choose Manhua Cha to build your own, from the kit size to the topping, and Bubbleology to mix fruit flavours at the table.

Questions people ask

How many drinks does a bubble tea kit make?

Each TeaJoy home kit makes 4 drinks, and so does each Bubbleology Mixology Kit. Manhua Cha's Build Your Own Kit comes in 4, 8, 12 or 20 drink sizes.

Which bubble tea kit is easiest for beginners?

Our Fruit Tea Kit. Pour a syrup sachet into a cup, add 300ml of water, stir in the popping boba and add ice. Nothing is cooked and there is no milk to choose.

Are TeaJoy bubble tea kits vegan?

Yes. Every TeaJoy kit is vegan, gluten free and allergen free, and all our drinks are halal. The Milk Tea Kit contains no milk: you add 300ml of your own milk or a milk alternative.

Shop TeaJoy bubble tea kits

All three kits are in our bubble tea kits for home collection: £13.49 for the Fruit Tea Kit or the Milk Tea Kit, £13.99 for the Matcha Bubble Tea Kit, four drinks each. Our guide to choosing a bubble tea kit goes further, and bubble tea Christmas gifts matches a kit to the person. Sign up to our emails for 15% off your entire order.